Kati's May Crafts

 I had a craft day with Joy and Marita!  We painted wine glasses that turned out pretty cute!  I opted for a floral pattern on one and a sun/heart/dot pattern on the other.

Sandra invited me over for a separate craft day (Marita was there too) where we used balloons to paint canvases.  We put blobs of paint on our canvas and then used the blown up ballon to dot the paint around.  It creates a cool pattern.  I painted a few pieces of cardstock and two canvases.  I added cacti to one of my paintings which was the maximum extent of my painting abilities.  Ha ha ha!

Then Joy, Marita, and I had another craft day where we painted wine bottles and glasses.  I painted a sunset scene on my wine bottle with a small sand dollar detail.  I dotted paint on my wine glass to create flowers.

I also created a dot painting of hanging grapes at Sandra's house with Marita and Rosa.  It's hard to see in pictures, but I painted glitter all over the grapes and vines.  This helped give it some dimension and character.

I saw a cute card on Etsy and decided that I could re-create it!  So I did!  I placed my thumb in olive green paint and placed it on the paper to make olives.  Then I added in the red pits, drew the faces, drew the appendages, wrote 'olive juice', and added some hearts for good measure.  I gave this card to Larry for our anniversary.  

Lastly, I kept up with my scrap journal!  I placed a heart for May 23rd since that is our anniversary.

Our 17th Anniversary

 Last night we had reservations at Azotea for 6:30 p.m., but we left early and went to Harker for drinks and totopos with guacamole, salsa, and pico de gallo.  We walked from Harker to Azotea which wasn't far at all.  Azotea was gorgeous!  We took several pictures, had drinks, and exchanged cards.  We shared a pear/beet salad with feta and a crab cake as an appetizer.  Larry had a creamy rice with shrimp dish as his main course and I had a creamy pasta with mushrooms and bits of roasted steak.  It was delicious!  We both had cheesecake for dessert and they brought out flutes of champagne as an anniversary gift.  

Wags and Watermelon

We gave the dogs each a large piece of watermelon today as a little treat.  They enjoyed the sweet snack quite a bit.  Ranger went to town, and Shadow quickly followed his lead.  Scout was a bit more apprehensive, but decided it was okay if Larry held the watermelon for him.  Ha ha ha!!!

Salud

 Last night, we went to Salud Wine Bar with Todd, Sandra, Jeff, and Marita.  It's one of our favorite little spots to enjoy some wine and hang out.  Afterward, we went to Todd and Sandra's for pizza and wings.  It was a fun evening!

Styling Coffee Shelves

I’ve been working on styling these shelves since March 20th, and what started as a quick trip to the tile store for another project turned into the inspiration for this entire set-up.  I found a tile I loved for the coffee shelf and ended up building everything around its colors.

I found the easel at Waldo’s (basically a dollar store) and painted it to match.  The CAFECITO sign came from Etsy, so there was a bit of a wait for shipping from the States.  Once it finally arrived, Larry helped me attach it to the easel.

I added an artificial plant, but the stark white pot didn’t feel right.  It was just a little too bright against everything else.  I swapped it out for a glossy blue one instead, which blended in so much better.  I also made a matching garden stake for a little extra personality.

To tie everything together, I added another tile in the same color scheme to the bottom shelf and upgraded the coffee mug craft I made earlier this year.  I painted the frame yellow and reworked the steam detail to give it a more finished look.  I rearranged things daily until it finally felt balanced.

It was coming together, but it still needed something.  I wanted a whimsical touch!  I ordered a mini coffee maker, tiny mugs, and a small riser for them to sit on.  They took forever to arrive, but the coffee maker and mugs were worth the wait.  I love them!  The riser arrived broken and too large for what I wanted.  Larry fixed both of those issues for me and then created the cutest little mug tree.  It's absolutely perfect and gives it that finishing touch.

The third shelf will be reserved for seasonal decor and mugs.  I’m set for Halloween and Christmas, but I’ll need to build up my spring and summer collection.

The tiles that started it all - landed on just using the larger one

Time to paint the easel

Many coats of paint

Paint job done

Changed up the ceramic mug piece I made in January

Progress

CAFECITO sign added

Getting close...

Moved everything around...

Adding in whimsical touches

Arrived broken, but Larry fixed it for me

Complete!

The cutest little mug tree

All three shelves